Los Angeles City Council rescinds 12 anti-camping zones

The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-3 on Tuesday to rescind 12 “anti-camping zones” in the Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Echo Park areas. The resolution, introduced by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, targets specific locations previously designated under Section 41.18 of the municipal code, which allows officials to ban unhoused residents from sleeping or keeping belongings in sensitive areas such as underpasses and near schools.

Soto-Martinez noted that this marks a rare instance of the city withdrawing such designations rather than implementing new ones. The zones being removed include underpasses in Silver Lake and Echo Park, as well as 101 Freeway overpasses in Hollywood. The move follows pressure from housing advocates who argue that the enforcement of these zones leads to the forcible removal of unhoused individuals, causing them to lose belongings and disconnect from essential medical care and outreach services.

Opponents of the resolution, including Councilmembers Traci Park, Monica Rodriguez, and Imelda Padilla, have previously supported the policy to keep encampments away from sensitive sites and maintain pedestrian infrastructure. Soto-Martinez stated that a survey of approximately 2,000 constituents living near the zones showed most either did not support the designations or held no opinion.